


honey just put your sweet lips on my lips

by PuzzleDragon



Category: L.A. By Night (Web Series), Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: (they're just very handsy vampires), (whoops! how’d that get in there?), Blood Drinking, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Making Out, Mild Sexual Content, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:21:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23086942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuzzleDragon/pseuds/PuzzleDragon
Summary: we should just kiss like real people do(A series of short Jasper/Eva fics based off ofkissing prompts.)
Relationships: Jasper/Eva (L.A. by Night)
Comments: 83
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by cordsycords and cravatfiend on tumblr:
> 
> 45\. Kisses exchanged as they move around, hitting the edges of tables or nearly tripping over things on the floor before making it to the sofa, or bed.

Under the cover of darkness, they race through the empty park to get to Eva’s haven. They’re closer to her place than his tonight, but for once the mad dash isn’t about fear or escape. Instead it is a far more pleasant rush: he wants her, she wants him, and kissing under the stars on a moonlit stroll had led to hands wandering under clothes which had led to both of them wanting the kind of intimacy that they usually reserve strictly for behind closed doors.

Nothing ruins the mood like a park ranger or a werewolf catching you in the act, so they’d decided to get somewhere a little more private before going any further.

Even though he can’t see her, Jasper can feel Eva’s hand in his and he knows that if it wouldn’t break the Obfuscate they always activate when moving through open spaces, her bright laughter would fill the night air. She is giddy with desire, her hand squeezing his tightly through the obscuring shadows that cling to them as they rush home together.

When they finally reach her door, Obfuscate drops as she touches the doorknob. And now that they’re here—almost safe, almost inside—he can’t help but kiss her. He becomes visible once again as he presses her against the door and stoops to press his mouth to her. She kisses him back, smiling against him as she fumbles for the lock. Jasper knows it would go faster if he let her go long enough for her to actually look at what her hands were doing, but he doesn’t want to stop kissing her even for a moment. So he doesn’t.

Eventually, the lock gives way and they stumble through the open door together. A second after the door closes behind them, he has Eva pressed up against it, lifting her off the ground so he doesn’t have to bend down to kiss her. One of his hands ends up braced against the door, the other on her lower back, holding her to him. He guides her to wrap her legs around him, her hips moving in small circles to grind against him as he does.

His fangs graze her lower lip as he pulls back to press frantic, hungry kisses to her jaw and neck, groaning at the press of her body against his.

“Bed,” Eva gasps out, one of her hands reaching up to push his hood back as she arches into him.

“Yeah,” Jasper growls against her neck, stepping back from the door with her still in his arms.

Some small part of him knows that he should turn around and set her down and stop kissing her so he can properly walk across the short distance that exists between her front door and her bedroom. But he really doesn’t want to stop kissing her.

Eva moves to press her lips against his neck, showering him with kisses as her nails scrape lightly at the nape of his neck. He can feel the edge of her fangs press against his throat, but she’s still so careful not to bite down. Maybe she’s moved away from his mouth to let him open his eyes and see where he’s going, but she’s so deliciously distracting, he can’t seem to manage it. 

In his rush to take her to bed, Jasper forgets just how small Eva’s haven actually is. He manages not to trip over his own boots as he takes another step back, but then his heel catches on the edge of one of the carpets that covers the floor and he stumbles backward. The corner of her thaumaturgy work table jams into his thigh and the usual growled purr that Eva’s touch elicits transforms into a sharp hiss of pain.

The glass and metal instruments strewn across the desk rattle from the impact and Jasper instinctively grabs the edge of the table to steady it. Luckily, nothing breaks, but Eva pulls back from her assault on his neck to glance down and giggle.

“Are you alright?” she asks sweetly, cupping his cheek in her palm.

“Yeah,” he answers, voice rough with want rather than pain, “Just a scratch, I’ll be fine.”

Jasper leans in to kiss her again, but her hand moves from his cheek to press a finger against his lips, stopping him.

“Maybe you should set me down so we don’t break anything by accident?” she suggests, failing to hide the teasing smirk that threatens to break across her face.

Jasper sighs and relents, supporting her weight as she untangles her legs from around his waist. Once both her feet are on the ground again, she takes his hand in hers and smiles up him, one of her white fangs peeking out as she bites her lip playfully.

“Let me lead,” she says, taking a step backward and pulling him with her by his hand, “I have a lot of dangerous furniture in here. And I wouldn’t want you getting hurt before I’d even had the chance to undress you.”

Jasper growls at the promise in her words—the sound playful and hungry in a way that sparks something mischievous in Eva’s bright eyes—and races after her as she quickly pulls him across the threshold into her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I know the Jeva shippers of the vamily are pretty emotional after Nelli's party and I wanted to do a little something to provide some fluffy comfort as we wait to see what happens next. I hope you all enjoy these little bit-sized fics, and comments and kudos are always very much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr:
> 
> 42\. Distracting kisses from someone that are meant to stop the other person from finishing their work, and give them kisses instead.

Jasper is hunched over his desk in the library, pouring over multiple books at once, trying to work out some new mystery of the Labyrinth, when Eva walks up behind him. She drapes her arms over his shoulders in a loose embrace, looking down at the pages laid out before him. He doesn’t startle at her touch the way he used to; he’s so comfortable with her presence now that he simply pats one of her hands with his and keeps reading.

Eva had been working on her own projects—tending to a batch of healing potion at the improvised work space she’s set up in the living room—but after getting as much done as she could for the night, she’d decided to check on Jasper who’d been growling at books for hours now.

“Any luck figuring things out?” Eva asks, absently toying with one of the drawstrings on his hoodie as she surveys his desk.

“A little, but nothing concrete, nothing I can build on,” Jasper says without looking up at her. There is a growl of frustration in his words and Eva decides that she would very much like to change that. She knows how he gets when he finds a new puzzle: hyper-fixated and determined to unlock its secrets, always looking for that one string that will make the whole knot unravel.

They often work together on mysteries like this now—researching side by side, both of a similar mind when it comes to the search for knowledge and understanding—but she is usually the one to suggest they need to step back and take a break after a while. More often than not, walking away to return with a clear head does more to help them solve a problem than a few extra hours of studying ever could. And she has become rather adept at being his favorite kind of distraction.

She presses a light kiss to his shoulder through the dark fabric of his hoodie.

“You should take a break,” she says sweetly.

“But I’m so close to figuring this out, I can feel it,” he responds, his hands moving to shift the papers on the desk, reordering and re-configuring, trying to make the pieces of it all fit together neatly.

Eva gently pulls his hood back to expose his face and neck. She places another kiss on his jaw before whispering close to his ear, “Take a break. Clear your head.”

“But—” Jasper’s objection is cut off by his own growled purr as Eva kisses his neck insistently.

“You’ve been working too long. You’re tense. Let me help you relax,” she murmurs against his cold skin, her hands moving to push his hoodie off his shoulders as she still stands behind him. “The work won’t disappear if you step away for a moment.”

Eva waits for him to pull away, for him to offer any sign that he’s genuinely not in the mood rather than just being stubbornly fixated on his work. Instead, he reaches up to stroke her hair, encouraging her to kiss his neck again.

“Take a break,” she whispers again, her lips ghosting across his skin with each word.

Jasper growls again but different this time, all his attention focused on her now. Eva smiles to herself, knowing she’s won. She untangles herself from around his shoulders, trailing her hands down his arms to push his hoodie off. Once he’s free of his sweatshirt, she takes one of his hands in hers and moves to step around to his side.

He lets her pull him to his feet. Smiling coyly the entire time, she guides him away from the cluttered desk toward the couch in the other room. Eva goes up on her toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before placing her hand at the center of his chest to guide him to sit down on the sofa with a light shove. Jasper collapses into it, looking at her hungrily as she stands over him. She settles onto his lap, straddling his hips. One of her hands lingers on the back of his neck as she crooks a finger below his chin to tip his head back to look at her.

“Hello,” she says sweetly, her gentle voice a stark contrast to the easy hold she has on him and the desire in her eyes.

“Hey,” he rumbles back, settling his hands on her hips, his fingers digging into the light fabric of her skirt.

“Are you ready to be distracted?”

He smiles—fangs peeking out as he does—and pulls her in closer. She giggles, clinging to his dark t-shirt as he buries his face in her neck to press kisses to where her pulse once was.

“Yeah… yeah, I think you’ve convinced me,” he murmurs against her pale skin.

Eva turns his face up to look at her again and when his lips meet hers—soft kisses quickly turning hungry and passionate—all thoughts of unraveling the Labyrinth’s latest puzzle leave Jasper’s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Need more "Eva distracting Jasper with kisses" in your life? Then check out the "Distracting" vignette in cordsycords's [we can just kiss like real people do](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19785223) (Rated E) and the opening of canadiankazz's [Down For It](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22905919/chapters/54750160) (Rated E).


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by cravatfiend on tumblr:
> 
> 22\. A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party.
> 
> (Turned into canon-divergent, hot and fluffy “Hollywood Forever” fix-it fic, because Jasper and Eva deserve nice things.)

When Eva stirs into wakefulness after the sun sets, Jasper is still asleep. Dead to the world in a bed far bigger than the one they share at home. She knows she cannot wake him, so instead she burrows into his chest and waits. 

A few quiet moments later, his arm tightens around her, one of his hands splayed out across her back, and she knows he’s woken up.

“Good evening,” Eva murmurs, craning her neck to press a light kiss to the underside of his jaw.

“Hey,” Jasper responds, placing an answering kiss on the top of her head. He absently runs his fingers across her back, slowly stroking up and down her spine.

“I had a wonderful time last night,” she says, resting her cheek against his chest and reaching down for his free hand, lacing her fingers with his and feeling the cold metal of the ring she’d given him the night before.

Nelli’s party had gone far better than expected. The LSD-laced blood had helped her relax after so many busy, stressful nights and she was able to just let herself enjoy things for once. There had been no fights, no fires, no kidnappings—they’d all made it out intact and unscathed. Eva had danced like she used to—free and joyous, tasting the music as it washed over her—but near the end of the night, the beat had slowed and she had danced with Jasper. It was nothing fancy, just a very simple waltz, one of his arms around her waist and his other hand held tight in hers. That late into the night, the acid had started to wear off and she was coming down from her high, but being in Jasper’s arms still felt like floating on air.

That’s when she’d given him the new ring—intricate patterns in weathered bronze and a new engraving on the inside of the band: _my night sky_. She’d been holding on to it for a while, trying to find the right moment to give it to him. Now, with quiet jazz in the air and the moon overhead and him looking so perfect, she couldn’t think of a better time. She’d told him she loved him for the first time and he’d said it back and she’d decided she would be more than happy to exist in that moment forever. 

When the party finally came to an end, Nelli had insisted everyone spend the day at the Roosevelt—there were rooms made up for all of them and she wouldn’t take no for an answer, no matter how short a drive it was back to anyone’s usual haven. Nelli had showed them each to secure rooms—posh and protected—and directed Eva and Jasper to a comfortable suite with a king-sized bed.

They’d undressed each other in the dim glow of the bedside lamp and made love in a room that felt like an escape from their nightly lives, a hidden paradise where danger couldn’t reach them. There was no space for fear here, no room for doubt or pain. Just the two of them, moving together in perfect harmony—gentle, unhurried, and so absolutely in love.

Before the sun rose, they had cleaned up and Jasper had pulled his t-shirt and underwear back on—still uncomfortable sleeping naked, no matter how many times Eva reassured him that she was more than alright with it. Eva had slipped into a short white silk robe that hung in the bathroom—seemingly provided by Nelli for just such an occasion. They’d settled back into bed together and had fallen asleep in each other’s arms just as the sun broke over the horizon.

It really had been a wonderful night.

“Oh really?” Jasper asks.

“Mhmm,” Eva hums her approval, “You look marvelous in a suit.”

He lets out a growled laugh but does not argue with her.

“You looked beautiful,” he says, all soft adoration.

“So you told me last night… several times.” The smirk on her lips is undeniable. He remembers as well as she does: pressing his mouth to her pale skin, murmuring confessions and compliments like poetry against her body between kisses, hearing her sigh and moan at his touch, the words “I love you,” falling from both their tongues like an invocation. He can’t help but smile at the memory, too.

Eva tilts her head up to request a kiss and he’s happy to oblige her. It starts off chaste—just a light brush of lips, a familiar greeting, a “good morning” in the middle of the night—but gradually shifts into something more passionate. Jasper traces the edge of her fangs with his tongue, careful not to press too hard and cut himself, and she moans into his mouth. His arm tightens around her waist, pulling her on top of him in one fluid motion. He moves to kiss her neck and Eva laughs as she feels his fangs tease her sensitive skin.

“Jasper, are you trying to seduce me?” she asks teasingly, arching her neck to give him better access. 

“Is it working?” he murmurs close to her ear before nipping playfully at the bolt of her jaw. He doesn’t break skin, but the promise that he might sends a thrill through Eva.

“Yes,” she sighs, her hands moving underneath his dark t-shirt, roaming across his chest and down his rib cage.

“Good,” he growls as he feels her grind down against him. He kisses his way down her neck, gently guiding the silk robe off her shoulders to reveal an enticing expanse of pale skin. He wants to touch her everywhere, all at once, but he can’t do that while she’s trying to undress him. Her hands grow more insistent and he breaks off from kissing his way down her chest to let her pull his shirt off over his head. Eva tosses it to the floor and pulls his face to hers in another hungry kiss.

Eva is about to blush, about to ask Jasper to do the same as his fingers fumble to untie the belt of the robe from around her waist, when a very loud, very insistent, very Annabelle series of knocks sounds on the other side of the door to their room.

They both freeze.

“Wakey-wakey, lovebirds!” Annabelle calls out, “Nelli wants to do a quick debrief about last night before everyone goes home.”

“We’re a bit… busy at the moment,” Jasper snarls back, his fingers digging into Eva’s hips as she tries to restrain a giggle at his frustrated tone. She buries her face in his neck to muffle her laughter and despite the interruption, the sheer ridiculousness of the situation makes him smile begrudgingly.

“Oh... _oh_ ,” Annabelle responds, the realization of what she’s interrupted hitting her full force, “I’ll… uh… cover for you?”

“Thank you, Annabelle,” Eva says sweetly, rolling her hips just enough to make Jasper groan beneath her as she does.

“I love and support you both, but I did _not_ need to hear that.”

“You’re a tease,” Jasper growls, low enough for only Eva to hear before leaning up to suck at the spot on her neck that always makes her moan. And she does moan, low and throaty as she grinds down against him again—something Annabelle clearly _does_ hear, based on the way she shouts, “O-kay then! Well, that’s _my_ cue to leave. I’ll try to buy you some time. Have fun, you crazy kids!”

“Oh, we will!” Eva calls back, her voice tinged with breathless giggles.

They wait a moment to hear Annabelle’s heavy boots receding down the hall, before Jasper surges up, flipping a still laughing Eva onto her back.

“You did that on purpose,” he says, his words accusatory but his hungry grin reassuring her that he isn’t actually mad.

“So did you,” Eva points out, even as Jasper returns his attention to undoing the knot in her belt, “And it got her to leave us be for a little while, didn’t it?”

“Your methods are effective, if unorthodox,” he answers as he finally succeeds in his quest to free her from her robe.

“Too many big words,” she says, smirking up at him as she toys with the waistband of his underwear, “I need to get you back to monosyllables.”

“We’ve probably bought ourselves about twenty minutes. Thirty if we’re lucky.”

“Then we better not waste any time,” she murmurs, pulling him down into another kiss as she wills her heart to beat again. He smiles against her as his own heart stutters into the same excited rhythm—each quickened beat adding to their shared litany of _I love you_ ’s.

They end up being late for that meeting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are always very much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by canadiankazz on tumblr:
> 
> 15\. A fierce kiss that ends with a bite on the lip, soothing it with a lick.

Success always boosts Jasper’s confidence. Whether it’s unlocking the secrets of a new puzzle or executing a well thought out plan, it always makes him feel like he might not be as much of a disaster as some people think. So, when he and Eva finally complete the latest trap to guard their haven—one with a finicky trigger that they’ve been struggling with for over a week—it makes him want to celebrate.

Based on the look she gives him when he suggests it, Eva is more than alright with his idea.

They stumble into their bedroom together, discarding extra layers of clothing along the way—boots kicked off and zippers undone, his hoodie tossed somewhere in the room, her dress following soon after. They are all want and desire and hunger—eager fumbling hands and clashing fangs, ready to devour each other in their excitement.

Jasper advances towards Eva, walking her back toward their bed. She collapses into it, falling back against the pillows. He climbs over her, his half-naked body poised above hers. He presses her down into the mattress, pinning her arms by the wrist beside her head. Eva fights back playfully, not really wanting to escape, simply wanting him to push back harder. He responds in kind, licking into her mouth and kissing her hungrily. They are desperate for each other, drinking each other in.

“Wanna touch you,” Eva manages to say between kisses, squirming beneath him in an attempt to break free of his hold on her. His grip tightens on her wrists, not enough to hurt her—never enough for that—but enough to keep her pinned.

Jasper pulls back to smirk down at her and whisper, “Be patient.”

His voice rumbles in his chest and the smile Eva gives him in return is near-feral in her eagerness. She wants him desperately and that knowledge—no matter how many times he realizes it anew—always leaves him speechless.

He doesn’t have long to contemplate that realization, though, before Eva hooks one leg around him and pulls his hips down to meet hers. She braces her other foot against the mattress and rolls her hips up, trying to gain some friction through the thin layers of fabric that still remain between them.

Even without blush of life active yet, it still feels good in some strange, distant way and Jasper groans, burying his face in the crook of her neck to muffle the sound. He can hear the teasing smile in her voice when she says, “What was that about being pa—”

Her words fall away into a moan as he sucks at a spot on her neck, hard enough to bruise if they were anything close to human. His fangs press against her without breaking skin and she writhes beneath him—hungry and aching for release.

Jasper moves to kiss her again, their mouths moving together in a frantic push and pull—tongues grazing fangs, hips grinding against each other as they do. Eva gasps at the contact and when she does, Jasper nips at her bottom lip. He bites down without thinking, matching her ferocity, trying to keep up. His fangs sink in and he feels her sweet, intoxicating blood well up into his mouth. The familiar taste of her vitae overwhelms him immediately—floral notes and lightning sparks and deep, rich magic, mingling with her lust and arousal; and beneath it all, those unmistakable feelings of love and affection that strike right to the center of his being.

Eva melts when she feels his fangs prick her skin. The pain from the bite is sharp but brief and the pure pleasure of the Kiss drowns it out almost immediately. It is bliss beyond words. She cants her hips against his—her still cold body moving on instinct, chasing her pleasure—and moans as the overwhelming ecstasy sweeps through her.

His fangs retract a moment later, releasing her far too soon. He runs his tongue across her lower lip, licking the wound closed and soothing the bite. His hips have stopped moving against hers and Eva lets out a low whine at the loss of friction between them.

When her eyes drift open, Eva expects to see her own affection and desire reflected in Jasper’s gaze. Instead, she is met with a look of worry and concern.

“S-sorry,” Jasper says, his grip on her wrists loosening, “I—I got caught up—I shouldn’t have… I should’ve asked before I—”

“Hey,” she cuts him off, her voice deliberately gentle as she easily frees one hand to reach up and cup his pale cheek, “It’s alright.”

“I shouldn’t have just… done that. Not without your permission,” he mutters, his gaze fixed on a point somewhere to her left, unable to look her in the eye. The guilt is so clearly written across his face.

She frees her other hand and holds his face between her palms.

“Look at me, Jasper,” Eva says, all gentle reassurance as she guides his gaze back to hers, “Yes, communication is important. And yes, I appreciate that you don’t want to take advantage of me. It’s very sweet and it means a lot to me. But you haven’t done anything wrong tonight. I trust you, Jasper. Feeding you feels wonderful. I enjoy it. I don’t want you to be ashamed when all you’ve done is make me feel good.”

“I should’ve… asked,” he mumbles, looking down at her apologetically.

“It is a good rule to keep in mind, yes. Just to make sure that I feel well enough to feed you on any given night. But please, _please_ don’t think you need to apologize for getting caught up in the moment.” She smiles softly, stroking her thumb across his sharp cheekbone. “I like seeing you be confident like that, going after what you want. I enjoyed what you just did… a lot. There is nothing to forgive, but you are forgiven all the same.”

Her words wash over him, sinking in slowly. He is so absolutely loved and he loves her just as fiercely in return.

“O-okay,” he whispers, “Okay.”

“Okay,” she echoes.

He leans down to press his forehead against hers, both of them simply existing in this space together—eyes closed and bodies close. After a moment, Jasper pulls back and Eva’s eyes flutter open. 

“Now,” she says, moving her hands from his face to his neck, “I’d very much like to get back to what we were doing… if you feel up to it?”

Sometimes easing Jasper’s anxieties requires extra time for decompression. But sometimes it just takes a gentle hand and a reassuring word. Tonight, he smiles down at her and Eva is glad to see that it is the latter.

“I… might need a little reminder of where we left off,” he answers, his earlier confidence returning slowly.

Eva smiles and tentatively rolls her hips up to meet his. Jasper matches her, rocking back against her body. She leans up to kiss him and he kisses her in return—just as intense, just as passionate as before, though a little more careful of their fangs now. She pulls back to take a deep breath, her heart springing to life at a quick and excited rhythm. He takes a moment to do the same, pressing his forehead against hers again and taking deep, shaking breaths until his heart stutters into beating, his body shuddering back to life.

Eva strokes his cheek as he settles into it, kissing him as soon as his breathing evens out. Eager hands fumble for waistbands and bra clasps, trying to rid each other of the last remaining barriers between them without breaking the kiss.

They fall back into sync, hungry and desperate for each other, and the sounds of their pleasure meld together in the quiet of their shared bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr:
> 
> 4\. An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose.

After Jasper and Eva return from their first excursion into the Labyrinth, they return to his library to do some research for the rest of the night. It is a comfortable sort of camaraderie—even with the nervous, affectionate tension that exists between them now, there is still the easy companionship and understanding that they have built over the course of their friendship.

They gather books as they talk—not only of the Labyrinth and the ley lines, but of the past month, of the fire and Jasper’s new jacket and a few of the things Eva saw on her trip to New York—the words coming easier now than they did at the start of their evening.

With books in hand, they settle in to research their new discoveries. Eva curls up in his armchair, a throw blanket draped over her lap as she reads from an old Latin text that he’s never been able to translate all of. She fits into his space so easily, as though his haven has always been waiting for her, and it makes Jasper smile.

She glances up from her book and catches him looking at her from his place on the couch. Jasper is about to avert his eyes, embarrassed, when Eva giggles and smiles back at him. She doesn’t make him talk about it, doesn’t ask him why he was watching her, simply returns to reading and allows the comfortable silence to drag on.

When Jasper gets up to move to his desk—needing more space to spread out his work, to reference multiple books at once—Jasper feels her eyes on him. Now it is his turn to catch her staring. When their gazes meet across the room, Eva gives him a look that says she’d blush if she could. Her skin remains the same deathly pale, but her eyes soften and she smiles at him again. It leaves him with the sort of butterflies in his stomach that he hasn’t felt in years and he can’t help but smile back.

He can’t think of anything intelligent to say and she says nothing in return. And so they return to reading.

Eventually though, Jasper finds something: a series of drawings consistent across three different books, each detailing the convoluted pattern of the ley lines. He can’t understand all of the surrounding text, but the diagrams are clear enough. It’s not much, but it’s definitely something and that promise of further understanding sparks that part of his being that craves new and secret knowledge.

“Eva,” he calls out from his desk chair, breaking the silence, “Would you, uh—I think I found something. Could you… come take a look?”

“Of course,” she answers, her voice gentle and far more at ease than his own.

Jasper glances up to see the way she rises with ease, the blanket discarded on the arm of the chair and her own book left open on the floor beside her seat. She all but floats through his library, pausing at his side and glancing from his upturned face to the books laid out in front of him.

“What did you find?” she asks.

Jasper swallows hard, trying to refocus on the research despite her standing so close to him. He looks down at the books spread out on the desk and points to the illustration in the oldest of the three books.

“So, um, see this drawing here?” Eva nods. “Well, the same one appears in two other occult texts I’ve found. All different languages, written decades apart, but the same illustration in each one depicting the pattern of the ley lines. It’s consistent with what we saw down in the Labyrinth, if a bit stylized, and while I haven’t translated everything yet, I feel like there’s got to be something to this. Right?”

His voice grows more confident with each word, falling back into an easy rhythm of explanation that is far less intimidating than making small talk with a pretty girl. Eva is still looking down at the desk, studying the books laid out before her. Jasper registers that she’s taken off her warded lace gloves at some point during the night, leaving her hands bare as she carefully traces the intricate red lines of each drawing.

Jasper watches her face as the ideas fit together in her brain. There is a spark of curiosity in her bright blue eyes, a need for discovery and understanding that matches his own. They are kindred spirits in this and the thought makes him smile.

“This is fascinating,” she breathes, her mind working just as fast as his, “If these are each from different countries of origin and were published in different eras, then that points to the idea of a global network of ley lines, with these types of… focal points scattered across the entire world. Meaning the set we discovered tonight could, in theory, extend far beyond the boundaries of Los Angeles to connect with or even affect locations hundreds of thousands of miles away. Though these pages are far more than we can translate tonight…”

With her last word, she turns her head to look at him and Jasper doesn’t realize just how close they are to each other until her lips brush against his as a result. It’s the barest hint of contact, not even really a kiss, but it still brings his mind back to that moment down in the tunnels—her body tucked in close to his to maintain the spell, the smell of flowers on her skin and in her hair, her gentle hands on his face and her soft lips pressed against his—and he wants that again.

They both freeze.

Part of him wants to apologize—for what exactly, he’s not sure, but an apology still weighs heavy on his tongue—but she doesn’t pull away, doesn’t avert her eyes, doesn’t take a step back. She still stands at his side, mouth only a bare few inches from his own. 

He desperately wants to kiss her again, but he doesn’t want to push her, doesn’t want to assume or overstep, doesn’t want to ask too much of her when she’s already given him so much trust and affection. But she seems to be waiting for him to make the next move. If she didn’t want this—if she didn’t want him—she would’ve pulled away by now, wouldn’t she? But she hasn’t. She’s still just as close as she was before. That has to mean something, doesn’t it?

Jasper still hasn’t moved, frozen in his chair, when Eva’s delicate hand finds his own on top of the desk. Her cold fingers brush against the back of his hand and that touch, that silent reassurance and gentle invitation that he has already learned to read, spurs him on. He leans forward at the same moment she does, their lips meeting once again. Her free hand cups his cheek and tilts his chin up to give her a better angle, just as their fingers interlace on top of the old books. 

It is just as sweet, just as tender, just as wonderful as their first kiss and Jasper hopes there will be more to follow in the coming nights. 

When they finally break apart, he lets out a soft, pleased growl and Eva giggles. She’s already learning the nuances of his sounds, the same way he’s learning to read her touches. A language without words that they share between them, slowly coming to understand the other’s way of communicating. She presses her forehead to his and shares his space for a long quiet moment.

“Will you come sit with me on the couch?” she asks sweetly, “Please?”

“Y-yeah,” he says, nodding quickly.

She takes a step back, pulling him to his feet by their intertwined hands.

“You can bring the books,” Eva says, pausing before she adds, “Or we could just kiss for a while… if you’d like.”

As if he’d ever say no to an offer like that. He smiles, letting out another low, happy growl at her suggestion.

“We have been studying for a while,” Jasper finds himself saying as she guides him toward the couch. Under any other circumstances, he might be surprised by his own boldness, but Eva always seems to bring out the best in him.

“We deserve a break,” she agrees, smiling up at him before settling onto the couch and pulling him down to sit beside her. Eva laughs again as she reaches out to cradle his jaw. Jasper gives her a fanged smile in return and rests a hand on her hip as she leans in to kiss him again. He relaxes into her touch and kisses her in return.

They’ll get back to researching the ley lines later. They have time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos are, as always, very much appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by canadiankazz on tumblr:
> 
> 20\. Kissing in a stairwell, giving them an artificial height difference.

There are several hidden staircases in the Maharani as part of the network of secret passageways that run throughout the building. The one Jasper and Eva are in now leads directly to the upper level of Kindred-friendly bedrooms, one of which they claimed long ago for their own personal use. Most of the time, it is simply a convenient place to sleep for the day when there isn’t enough time to get back to their own haven before sunrise. But sometimes it’s nice to have a private room on hand for... other reasons.

They are halfway up the stairs—with Eva in front, leading Jasper by the hand as he trails behind her—when she stops in her tracks and turns around to face him. There’s a mischievous smile on her lips as she looks down at him from her high perch.

Jasper notices the shift in her demeanor. He’s used to her smiling as she drags him to bed—her eager excitement mirrored in his own eyes at the promise of getting her alone—but he learned a long time ago that a smile like that means she’s planning something. 

“What?” Jasper asks, “What’s that look for?”

Eva reaches out and places both her hands on his shoulders.

“Just enjoying being taller than you for once.”

And she is taller. Jasper usually stands head and shoulders above his very petite girlfriend, but standing on the stairs, he now has to look up to meet her eyes. She smiles down at him and it is an odd, but not unpleasant, feeling to gaze up at her like this. 

“And what are you going to do with your newfound power?” Jasper asks, smirking up at her.

“I think I have an idea,” she murmurs before leaning forward.

She presses her lips to his and he can taste her smile, feels her lips curve up against his as they kiss. Jasper tilts his head back for her and it makes him feel almost helpless before her—face upturned and neck bared, presenting himself for her to do with what she will in this hidden space.

The stairs give Eva the advantage of height, but they also increase the distance between her and Jasper. She is tall enough to meet his eyes without looking up now, but she can’t reach his mouth without bending forward, balancing on the edge of the step. It is a precarious arrangement, but Eva couldn’t care less when she’s kissing him like this.

She deepens the kiss, leaning into him and pushing her tongue past his lips, as she lifts one hand from his shoulder to caress his jaw. It’s a gentle sort of claiming, her pale fingers lingering on his cold skin, guiding his face to hers. That little bit of encouragement, with no real force behind it, and he follows her lead so easily. He groans into her mouth and the sound—so familiar to her now but no less enticing—urges her to press even closer. 

There is still space between them, but nowhere for her to step to close that distance. As she arches into him, she finally loses her balance, one foot slipping out from underneath her. With one hand still on his jaw, Eva cannot rely on the support of Jasper’s shoulders to stop her fall and she staggers forward.

But Jasper is never surprised. He senses her misstep almost before she does and in a flash of superhuman speed, his arms are around her waist, catching her before she can do more than stumble and pulling her in close to his chest. He turns, spinning Eva in a half-circle to account for the force of her body hitting his own. She wraps her arms around his neck, her long skirt fanning out behind her as he lifts her into open air. His footing is stable—unlike hers—and there is no danger of him falling down the stairs, even as he accounts for the extra weight of her in his arms.

“You have to be careful,” Jasper teases as Eva breaks the kiss and looks up at him sheepishly, “Being tall isn’t easy. Lot of... important responsibilities come with that kind of... power.” 

“Like... reaching the highest bookshelf in the library?” she asks innocently, playing along with his flirtation despite her own embarrassment. 

“Exactly.”

“And...” she continues, “Carrying your very short girlfriend up the stairs so she can kiss your neck without falling down again?”

A growl rumbles low in Jasper’s chest and Eva can feel the vibrations even through his many layers of clothing. 

“If you insist,” Jasper murmurs, a rough laugh finding its way into his voice as he adjusts his grip on her, hooking one arm under Eva’s knees while the other remains wrapped around her back, cradling her close to his chest as he turns and takes the next step up the stairs.

Eva can admit that being tall has its merits; but as she trails insistent kisses across Jasper’s neck and under his jaw as they make their way toward their shared bedroom, she can’t help but smile at the thought that she is small enough for him to carry through the confined stairwell with ease.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little bit of sweetness in these difficult times. Comments and kudos are always very much appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by canadiankazz on tumblr:
> 
> 16\. One person pouting, only to have it removed by a kiss from the other person.

Eva has been sitting at her thaumaturgy table for hours. Which, if Jasper’s being honest, isn’t an unheard of occurrence. Sometimes she gets lost in her work, practicing and performing complex rituals that take hours of prep time and countless complicated ingredients. Jasper’s gotten used to it all over the past few weeks—to the boiling cauldrons and carefully controlled flames and the scent of burned incense lingering in the air. He knows blood sorcery can be a delicate process, so he is careful not to interrupt her when she is actively weaving spellwork. She can sit undisturbed for half the night sometimes, surrounded by herbs and candles and ancient books, reciting Latin and honing her craft.

Jasper understands that pull better than most. He feels something similar when he’s intent on figuring out the secrets of the Labyrinth or some other new mystery, when he gets caught up in research and ferreting out secrets no one else knows. When he ends up buried in a mountain of books, so focused on finding the answer that he loses track of everything else, she is the one to pull him out of it. With gentle hands and light kisses and a quiet reminder that taking breaks is a good thing.

Sometimes though, like tonight, she can’t seem to remember her own advice.

Jasper approaches her carefully but makes sure his footsteps are loud enough to still be heard; he doesn’t want to startle her. Standing behind her, he can see that Eva’s desk bears all the signs of the chaos that results from hours of blood sorcery prep. While her collection of bones and feathers and other ingredients is usually neatly organized, ritual components are now strewn across her work space. She’s measuring out small amounts of different herbs on a set of copper scales with intense focus. He can smell rosemary and mint, along with a few other less recognizable plants, and all of her concentration is clearly fixated on getting the ratio of ingredients exactly right.

“Hey,” Jasper says, voice rumbling low in his chest as he tries to catch her attention.

Eva doesn’t look up from the delicate work in front of her, but she does let out a soft hum that Jasper has learned means she’s listening.

“I think we should head to bed,” he murmurs, voice gentle as he places a light hand on her shoulder, careful not to disrupt her work even as he tries to pull her away from it.

“Just another hour,” she mutters, eyes still locked on the set of weights on the scales, her pale hands carefully adding crushed rosemary leaves to the other side in an attempt to match the measurement exactly, “I’ve almost got it right.”

“There’s only a half hour ‘til sunrise.”

That finally makes her look up at him.

“Really?” she asks, wide blue eyes blinking as if coming out of a haze.

“Yeah, you’ve been working the whole night.”

Jasper can see the conflict in her eyes as his words sink in—torn between the desire to keep working until it’s perfect and the pull toward the day sleep—and he wonders how many times she's passed out at her own work table over the years, alone in Griffith Park, halfway through a project and too caught up to notice the time, before they started living together.

“Come to bed,” he says, voice still gentle as he makes his request.

Eva pouts—an expression he rarely sees on her face—as if she knows he’s right, but can’t shake the stubborn desire to keep working despite the fact.

He stoops down to press a quick kiss to her lips.

“I promise to help you finish tomorrow,” he whispers close to her ear, interlacing his fingers with hers where her hand has dropped down to the desk, “I’ll do whatever you need me to if you just tell me how to do it… I’ll be the witch’s assistant.”

She giggles at that suggestion and the sound brings a grin to his lips.

“But tonight?” she asks, slowly refocusing her attention on him instead of her work.

“Come to bed with me,” he whispers again, pressing another kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“Well,” Eva replies, cupping his cheek as she smiles, “Since you asked so nicely.”

Jasper pulls her to her feet by their intertwined hands and kisses her again—feeling her kiss him in return this time as she leaves her work behind. 

The mint and rosemary are abandoned for the night, the desk still in its mid-project state of semi-organized chaos. Everything will be exactly as she left it when she returns to her preparations tomorrow and they both know that things have always gone faster when they work together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Stay well, stay safe, be kind to each other, and I hope this little bit of sweetness helped brighten your day. Comments and kudos are, as always, very much appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr:
> 
> 21\. A chaste kiss given to each other because they are in mixed company.
> 
> (The kiss may be chaste, but these two vampires' thoughts definitely aren't.)

The lingering scent of burning ozone hangs in the air around Eva as the sparks die on her skin, another monster laid low before her as she hovers in the air.

Seeing her like this—some terrifyingly beautiful goddess with enough power to rend the heavens open at her command—always sets something off in Jasper. He loves every side of her—loves the gentleness, the sweetness, the intoxicating playfulness, and the calm reassurance right alongside the anger and passion and stubborn determination—but seeing her this fierce and powerful does things to him.

Something far more human than his Beast awakens within him and growls at the sight of her in the afterglow of her own lightning.

With no more enemies in sight, Eva floats back down and as soon as her feet touch on the ground again, she rushes toward him.

“You’re hurt,” she says, all concern and careful hands as she reaches toward the bullet wounds in his chest. Sometimes worry makes her viciously protective and sometimes it makes her soft; in this moment, her touch is light and her eyes are tender as she traces the outline of his injuries with her delicate pale fingers, her concern painfully evident in her voice.

“I’ve had worse,” Jasper says with a growled laugh, looking down at her adoringly and placing his hands on her shoulders, scanning her for damage even as she frets over him. 

“That isn’t reassuring,” Eva replies dryly before glancing up to meet his gaze as both of her hands rest against his chest. 

The look in his eyes—want rather than pain—makes her pause. 

“You were incredible,” he breathes, voice low and hungry.

One of her lovely sharp fangs pokes out as she tries to bite back a smile. 

He knows she can recognize that tone in his voice. She knows all too well what her magic does to him, knows that the idea of her being able to overpower him so easily—of her taking control and holding him down as he gives in to her touch and lets himself relax for her—turns him on almost more than he’s willing to admit.

And in this moment, he wants nothing more than to get somewhere private and show her his utter appreciation for her magical prowess—guiding her legs to wrap around his waist, getting her off with just his hands while he sucks at her neck, letting her grind against him until he goes down on his knees before her, licking and teasing until she falls apart into a pleasure-addled mess of sighs and moans and delicious warmth, hearing her cry out his name as he pushes her over the edge into bliss.

Jasper growls low in his chest at the thought and Eva can feel the vibrations under her palms.

She can read him so well, the hunger in her eyes matching his own for just a moment.

But then he hears a twig snap under Nelli’s heel and the crunch of Annabelle’s boots on dry earth and remembers that they are not alone. As kinky as he and Eva can get, exhibitionism really isn't on their list.

Eva seems to remember their companions at the same moment he does. As much as they both may want to tear each other's clothes off, this is neither the time nor the place to indulge in such desires.

With a quick glance toward the rest of the coterie—Victor and Annabelle are busy with something else, but Nelli, Toreador that she is, seems to have a sixth sense for noticing how close they’re standing to each other and smiles knowingly in their direction before turning back to the others—Eva goes up on her tiptoes, pressing a quick, soft kiss to his lips. Jasper kisses her back, but she pulls away after only the briefest moment.

“Later,” she whispers close to his ear, her voice low and full of promise.

There is still work to be done—a new mystery to unravel and a mess to clean up—but there will be time later tonight for him to show her just how incredible he thinks she and her magic truly are. Jasper can’t wait to get her alone, and judging by the smile she flashes him as she pulls away, Eva can’t wait to find out exactly what he has in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed a couple of vamps being extremely thirsty for each other. As always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested anonymously on tumblr:
> 
> 37\. Cleaning the other person’s lips with a lick and a kiss.

Nothing in the world feels quite as good as Jasper’s fangs in her neck. Alone together on one of the couches in their haven, Eva arches into him, her chest pressed close to his as she tilts her head to allow him better access to her throat as he drinks his fill.

The indescribable ecstasy of the Kiss is only enhanced by his hands—one slowly pushing her skirt up to caress her thigh while the other creeps under her shirt, fingers stroking up and down her spine. Each touch sends a new wave of pleasure through her and leaves her sighing and moaning in utter bliss.

It feels too good for her to sit still and Eva finds herself unconsciously grinding against him as he drinks. Her hips move in tight circles, chasing a pleasure she can’t achieve without blush of life, and she feels his grip on her tighten. 

“Jasper,” she moans, reaching one hand up to cradle his head as she moves, her nails digging into the back of his neck. He growls against her, the sound reverberating in his chest. 

Eva could let him do this forever without complaint, but only a moment later, she feels his fangs leave her. Some part of her wants to whine in protest at the loss of him, but she knows it’s for the best—she can already tell that if he takes much more, her Beast will start protesting. He licks the wound closed with deliberate slowness, his tongue lingering on her pale skin a little longer than strictly necessary before he kisses the freshly healed spot.

“Feeling better?” she asks dreamily.

“Yeah, much,” Jasper murmurs, kissing up to her ear as she leans against him, “You alright?”

“More than alright,” she sighs.

He lets out a growled laugh and Eva’s eyes flutter open. As wonderful as his mouth feels on her neck, she wants to kiss him in return. She pulls back slightly, guiding his face up to hers, only to stop and smirk once she gets a proper look at him.

There’s still blood— _her_ blood, _her_ vitae—on his lips.

The look on his face tells her he hasn’t noticed yet and is unsure about the source of her amusement. But before he can ask what’s caught her attention, she reaches out to hold his chin in place, keeping him still.

“You have a little…” Her words trail off as she leans in. A quick lick to the corner of his mouth, a swipe across his bottom lip—carefully cleaning her own crimson blood from his skin. Jasper all but purrs beneath her as she works.

He’s told her more than once that her vitae is perfect—sweet floral notes and intoxicating magic overwhelming his senses every time he feeds from her—but she much prefers the taste of him to that of her own blood. She doesn't indulge often, only feeding on him in emergency situations—her Carna training helps her to resist the bond, but there’s still more risk for her than for him when it comes to this—but the few times she’s drunk from him, his vitae has been heavenly. Rich and heady and laced with deep affection and just a hint of bitterness—like decades-old memories of especially dark chocolate, but even more delicious for the emotions that run through it.

“There,” she whispers, catching the last drop of her blood where it's run down to the sharp edge of his jaw, “All better.”

Jasper smiles up at her and she leans in to press a tender kiss to his lips. When she pulls away, his mouth chases after hers and she giggles as she places a hand on his chest to stop him.

“You’re not usually such a messy eater,” Eva teases.

“You were squirming,” he replies, voice rumbling low in his chest.

“I do that sometimes.” She gives another slow roll of her hips and feels his grip on her thigh tighten. 

“I think I could help with that.” His hand moves even higher on her leg, inching closer to where she wants him most before falling still as he adds, “If you feel well enough to blush, that is. I’d… understand if you needed a break.”

“I might need a drink later,” she admits, toying with the front of his hoodie as she strokes his chest, “But I think I’m well enough to have a little fun right now.”

Jasper grins and leans in to kiss her neck again, lips trailing over her collarbone and across her throat, up to the underside of her jaw.

“Want me to carry you to bed?” he asks, lips close to her ear before he nips playfully at the sensitive skin below it.

“No,” she sighs, clinging to his t-shirt and grinding down against him again, “Wanna stay here.”

Jasper growls, moving up to kiss her hard on the lips. Eva responds in kind, moaning into his mouth as their tongues meet. She traces one of his deadly sharp fangs as she restarts her heart, heat blooming between her legs as her pulse returns to her. His heartbeat stutters into life beneath her palm where it still rests against his neck and he groans, low and wanting, as she rocks her hips against him again.

They break away from each other—breathing heavily into what little space remains between them and pressing their foreheads together to bask in their shared warmth—before moving back in at the same moment for another heated kiss. Hands fumble for buttons and zippers and waistbands as they kiss, both of them desperate to touch each other without any clothing in the way; both of them hungry in a way that has nothing to do with blood or Beasts as their moans and sighs fill their quiet haven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I haven't written blood drinking fic in a while, so I hope you all enjoyed the return of that particular trope. Comments and kudos are also, as always, very much appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by cravatfiend on tumblr:
> 
> 17\. Tucking their hands beneath the other person’s shirt, just to watch them break the kiss and gasp in surprise at the sensation of cold/warm hands on their skin.

Even after she moves in, Jasper and Eva don’t spend every waking moment interacting with each other. While sometimes they may work together on a project for an entire night or just talk for hours, reveling in the joy of sharing secrets with a trusted companion, their conversations interrupted only by kisses, that is not always the case. Some nights, they prefer to curl up next to each other on the couch, just to read in comfortable silence and enjoy each other’s company. And sometimes they simply work on their own endeavors in separate rooms for most of the night until dawn begins to approach and they retire to bed together—yet even on those nights spent mostly apart, there is always time for at least a few words of affection and a kiss goodnight as they cuddle beneath the blankets of their too-small bed. 

So it is not unusual for Eva to work on her own for a while until she decides to seek out Jasper wherever he is in what has quickly become _their_ haven. On this particular night, with only a few more hours until sunrise, she finds him standing alone in the library, flipping through an old leather bound book. She watches him for a moment, taking in the look of concentration on his face, the way his long fingers trace across the ink on the page as he reads, the way his tongue darts out to absentmindedly lick his fangs while he thinks. Her eyes linger on him, always eager to discover the endearing little things about him she has yet to learn.

“Hey,” she finally says, drawing his attention as she leans in the archway to the circular room. 

Jasper looks up from the book in his hands and his eyes light up at the sight of her. They’ve been living together for weeks now but he still seems to brighten every time he sees her face.

“Hi,” he says in return, smiling as he shuts the book.

She moves toward him, her bare feet padding lightly across the concrete floor, her movements easy and relaxed. She stops in front of him and smirks as she looks up at his gaunt face.

“You should blush for me.”

Eva is all effortless flirtation, but Jasper’s shock at her words is so easy to read—his smile falls instantly, his brow furrows, his eyes blink, his whole face seems to react at once—as he tries to process her request. He is still getting used to her, acclimating himself to how open and honest she can be about what she wants. And despite her nightly reminders, he is even less accustomed to the idea that what she wants is him.

“I… what?”

Eva’s smile never falters as she looks up at him.

“If you’re feeling up to it,” she says, reaching out to place her hands on his chest, “I’d like to take you to bed, Jasper.”

“I, uh… I thought you had, um, thaumaturgy… stuff to do… tonight.” He turns over each word before it leaves his mouth and Eva watches him think, watches as he glances between her bright blue eyes, her soft lips, her pale fingers resting against his dark hoodie.

“I’m done with my work for now and I thought we could… have a little fun tonight,” she answers, her own voice so much steadier than his, “There’s so much of you I haven’t gotten to explore yet.”

“Oh, uh…”

She flusters him to no end sometimes. Even after weeks spent together—sharing a haven, sharing a bed, sharing pleasure in so many forms—Eva knows he’s still adjusting to the concept of being desired.

“If you’re not… in the mood tonight,” she adds gently, “That’s fine. But I wanted you to know that I am… just in case you are.”

“I, um…” Jasper swallows, trying to regain his composure. “I’d—I’d be alright with… that.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, “I wouldn’t want you to say yes… just for my sake. I want to make you feel good, Jasper… but only if you want me to.”

“I’d… like that,” he finally says, nodding down at her lovely face.

“You’re not too busy?” She tilts her head toward the book in his hand as her fingers toy with the front of his hoodie where it lies open across his t-shirt.

“Not at all.” He slips the book back into place on the shelf. “I was done. Just… browsing.”

“And you’re sure you want to?”

“Yeah… I’m sure.”

“Then blush for me,” Eva requests again, another soft smile spreading across her face.

Jasper takes a deep breath and she can feel his chest rise and fall under her hands as he forces his lungs to remember what it feels like to function. His heart restarts with a jolt, his body shuddering into Blush of Life as he gasps for enough air. She can feel his heartbeat—quick but steady—under her palm, as warmth slowly returns to him. 

She strokes the spot over his heart and waits for him to catch his breath before asking, “How do you feel?”

“A little hungrier,” he admits, “But I’ll be alright.”

“As long as you're alright.”

And then she goes up on her tiptoes to kiss him. His lips are warm against hers and she revels in that simple contrast. She feels his hands settle on her hips as his tongue traces the sharp edge of one of her fangs. She smiles against him as a new idea—one that is foolish and childish and wonderful for it—strikes her.

Eva doesn’t pull away, but as they kiss, she moves her hands down his chest until he reaches the hem of his t-shirt. Without warning or pause, she slips her still-cold hands under his shirt and presses them just below his rib cage.

In a fight—or seemingly any other scenario—Jasper is never surprised. But the touch of her icy fingers against his slowly warming skin catches him off guard. He breaks the kiss with a sharp gasp and pulls back. 

Eva can’t help the grin that spreads across her face at the sight of him like this. It’s something new to discover, to cherish, and this kind of shock looks so very human on him. She giggles as his eyes meet hers. 

“What was that for?” he asks, tone caught somewhere between affronted and amused.

“I said I wanted to explore,” she teases, trailing her fingers along the edge of his ribs and watching the slight shiver that runs through him.

Jasper huffs out a growled laugh as he reaches down to fish her hands out from under his shirt, wrapping his long fingers around her wrists to hold her hands away from his bare skin. He lifts them to his mouth and presses a soft kiss to the back of each one. 

“You can explore all you want,” he says, “But I’m going to have to insist on warm hands… At least while I’m blushed.”

“Fair enough,” she concedes before closing her eyes to focus. She takes a few deep, steady breaths and reminds her heart what it feels like to beat. It is far easier for her, she knows, to slip into Blush of Life—her Beast does not fight her quite so viciously as his own sometimes does, her body needs only a little guidance to recall what life once felt like—but a tremor still runs through her as her lungs take the first breath she doesn't need to force. When her pulse returns and evens out, she knows Jasper can feel it where his fingers grip her wrists. “Better?”

“Much,” he answers, placing another set of tender kisses against the backs of her hands as warmth spreads through her body. “And now I can make you feel good, too.”

Eva smiles—she can’t seem to stop doing that lately, he brings it out in her—and leans up to kiss him again before shifting her hand against his to intertwine their fingers. 

“Come on,” she says, tugging him away from the bookshelves and out into the rest of the haven, “I was told I get to explore as much as I want… and I intend to do just that.”

Jasper lets out a pleased growl—one tinged with want and hunger and anticipation—and follows without hesitation as Eva, giggling and near giddy with excitement, pulls him into their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! I'm looking forward to returning to this fic collection for a bit and I hope this little bit of fluffy sweetness helped brighten your day. As always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!


End file.
